MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ PRESS CONFERENCE WITH GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS,…

MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ PRESS CONFERENCE WITH
GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY, COMMANDING GENERAL,
MNF-I
TOPIC: ONGOING SECURITY OPERATIONS

THE COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER, BAGHDAD, IRAQ
3:00 A.M. EST, THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2007
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   GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, good morning. "Salaam aleikum, sabah el-
kheir," and "shukran jazilan" to all of you for being here
today. It's great to see you and particularly good to see so
many familiar faces.
   As you all               know, I've been on the ground for about a month
now, have had               a chance to go on patrols in Baghdad and
elsewhere, to               have visited with commanders throughout Iraq and
to have had a               number of meetings with Iraqi leaders.
   This morning I'd like to provide an update and some
impressions from my first month's activities, and then I'll take
some questions.
   We're now several weeks into the initial stages of Operation
Fard al-Qanun, the Iraqi name for the Baghdad security
operation. On one side, of course, are Iraqi and coalition
forces and the shabal (sp) Iraqi, the Iraqi people, who just
want to get on with their lives. On the other side are the
enemies of Iraq, extremist groups like al Qaeda Iraq, radical
sectarian militias and violent criminals. The latter categories
include those organizations that sought to drive a wedge between
Sunni and Shi'a, and that sparked and then carried out the
sectarian violence that caused such damage in Baghdad in the
wake of the Samarra mosque bombing a little over a year ago.
   Regrettably, some of these groups are still carrying out
their barbaric acts. In fact, we believe that they have sought
to intensify their sensational attacks in recent weeks to
provoke renewed sectarian violence and derail Operation Fard al-
Qanun before it can be fully implemented.
   Iraqi and coalition forces are steadily building their
strength to support the operation in Baghdad. The last of nine
Iraqi surge battalions and the second of five U.S. surge
brigades have just entered Baghdad. This buildup will continue
throughout the spring, with all U.S. and Iraqi forces dedicated
to the mission in place by about early June.
   As our military effort surges in the greater Baghdad area and
in Al Anbar province, a complementary effort will be carried out
on the civilian side in the form of a joint Department of
State/Department of Defense initiative to double the number of
Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq from 10 to 20.
   As with the military effort, the focus will be on Baghdad and
Al Anbar Province. These PRTs will draw on civilian and military
expertise to help the Iraqis build capacity in the provinces and
support local initiatives.
   Meanwhile, other efforts, including one focused on the rule
of law, will assist certain Iraqi ministries in Baghdad as they
work to improve their capabilities and capacity.
   We are, in any event, still in the early days of this
endeavor, an endeavor that will take months, not days or weeks,
to fully implement, and one that will have to be sustained to
achieve its desired effect.
   While too early to discern significant trends, there have
been a few encouraging signs. Sectarian killings, for example,
have been lower in Baghdad over the past several weeks than in
the previous month. There also appears to have been less
sectarian displacement in the past month; in fact, some families
have returned to the neighborhoods from which they were
displaced, although in small numbers so far. Iraqi and coalition
forces have uncovered stockpiles of explosively formed
penetrators in Diyala province and in Baghdad, with 96 weapons
caches found in the Multinational Division Baghdad area alone in
the past two weeks. Additionally, two major car bomb factories
have been destroyed on the outskirts of Baghdad. Hundreds of
extremists have been captured or killed, including some mid-
level members of al Qaeda Iraq and other extremist groups. And
we have destroyed several trucks equipped with heavy machine
guns used for engaging our aircraft.
   Beyond Baghdad, moreover, a number of tribes in Anbar
province have in recent months finally said, "enough," and begun
to link arms against extremist operatives who have killed their
sheikhs and sought to poison their young people's minds.
   Meanwhile, Iraqi leaders have moved forward on some important
pieces of legislation, most notably the draft national
hydrocarbon law, which treats Iraq's petroleum revenues as a
national asset to be shared equitably among Iraq's provinces and
regions. The government of Iraq has made several budgetary
advances in recent weeks as well, to include earmarking $7.3
billion for security-related expenses and over $10 billion for
capital investment in vital infrastructure, pushing 2.4 billion
reconstruction dollars directly to the provincial governments,
and conducting the conference yesterday led by the deputy prime
minister, Barham Salih, on spending that money appropriately for
the Iraqi people.
   At the same time, tragically, there have been violent,
sensational attacks. Schools, health clinics and marketplaces
have all been attacked. Car bombs have targeted hundreds of
innocent Iraqis, including dozens of Sunni Arabs leaving a
mosque in Al Anbar province. Suicide vest bombers killed over
three dozen students at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad.
Fourteen Iraqi policemen were killed execution-style while bound
and blindfolded last week. The Iraqi vice president was wounded
by an assassination attempt, though thankfully and impressively,
he remains undaunted and is already back on the job.
   And in recent days, Shi'a pilgrims were killed in a barbaric
manner by thugs with no soul, but the pilgrims continue to
march.
   Coalition and Iraqi soldiers and police have had some tough
days as well. It is such violence that Iraqi and coalition
forces will work together to reduce in the months ahead,
recognizing, to be sure, that some sensational attacks
inevitably will continue to take place, though every effort will
be made to reduce their number by identifying and destroying the
networks and facilities of the bombers, and by interdicting
those who would visit such violence on the Iraqi people.
   We and our Iraqi partners recognize that improving security
for the Iraqi people is the first step in rekindling hope. The
upward spiral we all want begins with Iraqi and coalition forces
working together and locating in the neighborhoods those forces
must secure. This concept features Iraqi and coalition soldiers
partnering with local police to establish joint security
stations, such as the one we began establishing in Sadr City on
Monday, as well as combat outposts to ensure continuous presence
in local communities. It also includes the establishment of
checkpoints, the hardening of marketplaces, the conduct of
patrols, and the execution of operations to capture or kill
terrorists and criminals. Importantly, Iraqi and coalition
forces will not just clear neighborhoods, they will also hold
them to facilitate the build phase of the operation and help
Baghdad's residents realize aspirations beyond survival.
   As citizens feel safer, conditions will be set for the
resumption and improvement of basic services. This is hugely
important. Indeed, Iraqis have often ranked the provision of
services ahead of security in importance. And it is vital that
the ministry representatives in the neighborhoods are able to
provide for their constituents. Also, as security improves,
commerce will return and local economies will grow, thereby
providing an opportunity for the energies of a resilient and
talented people to be expended in increasingly productive
endeavors.
   Each step in this process helps reinforce the desired
momentum, and over time, the government and its ministries will
be able to gain the population's confidence and support by
demonstrating the capability to deliver.
   It is not in our power to turn back the clock to the day
before the Al-Askariya Mosque was bombed. We can, however, in
partnership with our Iraqi colleagues, help improve the security
situation and enable the Iraqi people to control the demons
responsible for the vicious sectarian violence of the past year,
demons that tore at the very fabric of Iraqi society.
   Indeed, our operations will endeavor to provide Iraq citizens
and leaders a chance to mend that fabric. If we can do this --
and I do believe that Iraqi and coalition soldiers and police
will be able to improve levels of security for the Iraqi
population -- then the Iraqi government will have the chance it
needs to resolve some of the difficult issues it faces, to
develop the capacity of its institutions, to improve the
delivery of basic services to its citizens and to reconcile the
differences between the factions that are the stakeholders in
the new Iraq. Our effort, thus, will be to provide the Iraqi
government an opportunity to shape the future of a new state in
an ancient land.
   I have now served in Iraq for nearly two-and-a-half years.
There have been plenty of ups and downs during that time,
periods of optimism and periods of frustration. I've been
privileged during my time here to serve not just with the new
greatest generation of Americans and countless outstanding
coalition troopers, but also with enumerable brave and selfless
Iraqi leaders, soldiers, police and citizens. In fact, a number
of Americans, noting that experience, have asked me whether
Iraq's leaders and people can put the good of Iraq ahead of
personal agendas and sectarian interests. I believe that they
can, though it will not be easy given the sectarian violence
that changed the situation here so dramatically, over the past
year in particular.
   But putting Iraq above personal and sectarian agendas will be
critical as Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi people grapple with some
very tough issues in the months ahead. If they can do this --
and again, I believe they can -- Iraq's leaders will be honored
as the founding fathers of the new Iraq, and Iraq citizens will
be respected as a wise and courageous people. Beyond that, the
shabal (sp) Iraqi, the people of Iraq, will finally enjoy what
they so richly deserve after years of hardship -- a just
government that truly serves all Iraqis.
   Thank you, and now, I'll be happy to take your questions.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) (Name inaudible) -- from Al-
Iraqiyah. General Petraeus, after three days of Fard al-Qanun
operation we have noted that this operation focused on Rusafa
more than in the Karkh side. Could you please explain this?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: In fact, our forces -- the second of our five
surge brigades is in fact moving into Karkh right now -- in
particular, into the southern area of Karkh, the Rasheed
districts east and west. Also, we'll allow additional forces to
thicken their presence in the Mansour district, and over time
Ghazalia, Khadimiya and so forth.
   Right here.
   Q (Name and affiliation inaudible.)
   General Petraeus, we have noted that the Multinational Forces
have come slowly to Iraq. When are the total number of the
coalition forces completed to carry out the security plan?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: The combat forces that we will be introducing
should all be here by early June and into location by early
June. And the major elements are five Army brigades and then
several different Marine formations: two battalions and a Marine
Expeditionary Unit that will total somewhere around 4,000 forces
that will go into Anbar province, as well. I should point out
that although the focus, the priority, clearly is Baghdad,
anyone who knows about securing Baghdad knows that you must also
secure the Baghdad belts, in other words, the areas that
surround Baghdad, in particular, those that are on the routes
into Baghdad -- from the southeast for example, from Kut through
Salman Pak, Suwayra and so forth; from the south, the area of
the "Fiyas," so-called, Latafiyah, Mahmudiyah, Iskandariyah,
Yusufiya and so on; from the west, from Fallujah, Abu Ghraib,
that area, Kharma; from Taji and then from Khan Banisad and the
other areas to the northeast.
   So all of those areas will have to get attention. We are
receiving our brigades at about one per month -- the U.S. Army
combat brigades. Iraqi forces will continue to grow during this
time as well, largely as some of the formations are brought up
to full strength. Although I should point out that the final --
three of the final four battalions that entered Baghdad on the
Iraqi side were above 90 percent, too, actually over 100
percent. And the final one that is just entering will be brought
up to 100 percent, as well.
   So they've done well in that regard.
   Yes.
   Q Can you expand a little bit on what is being done for the
rest of the provinces, specifically Diyala, in the Fiyah (sp)
area? We haven't heard anything about what might be done to
secure those areas.
   And then also, could you tell me what you would say to the
Iraqi people who have told me -- and I'm sure many other
reporters -- that they've lost all faith in this government,
they've lost faith in the Multinational Forces. They don't trust
that this can secure Baghdad; it will be like the other plans,
and they're sick of claiming their family at the morgue now.
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, first of all, as I just mentioned -- in
fact, the belt areas obviously have to get attention, and that
includes portions of Diyala province; in fact, Baqubah is on one
of the sectarian fault lines and in fact is an area of concern
right now. And those areas over which we have concern will see
additional forces flowing into them.
   Beyond that, with respect to your second question about the
Iraqi people, I think they will just have to watch and, you
know, judge us by our actions. As I mentioned in my remarks, we
do intend to hold, we do intend to stay. I think if you have
been driving around Baghdad and have been on a number of patrols
with our soldiers, visited the joint security stations, walked
through the Shorja market the other day, which has been
completely hardened, as you may know, and in which vehicles are
only allowed to travel very early in the morning to put the
goods into the marketplace and then -- and must leave during the
course of the morning activities -- again, I think, you know,
you have seen that our soldiers are living in the neighborhoods
they are securing, and that really is a principle of
counterinsurgency operations, of operations that you have to
carry out. And of course we're dealing with more than just
insurgents here. I mean, we're dealing in some cases with
violent criminals, with what you really would call terrorists
and certainly, in some cases in -- extreme sectarian militias as
well.
   So -- and our soldiers, by being in the neighborhood --
interestingly, the leaders in particular have said in some cases
that after about five days or so, they go from what in some
cases before was an information deficit about that area to
information overload, literally, where they have all kinds of
people providing them information and tips and so forth. And
they literally have an analytical challenge now rather than an
information challenge.
   And I think also, obviously, they have to watch the actions
of the Iraqi leaders.
   I think, in fact, that having talked with a number of the
leaders that met again last night with Prime Minister Maliki,
that they will see that he and the government will be, in fact,
striving to be leaders for all Iraqis and responsive to the
desires of all Iraqis. And I think you should just -- again,
they should give them a chance.
   I reminded our U.S. Senate that this is the fourth Iraqi
government in three and a half years, following the collapse of
every Iraqi institution in the wake of liberation. And I think
it shouldn't be completely surprising that there have been
challenges in terms of capacity and capability. But it is
reassuring to see some of the actions literally in recent weeks,
actually, with respect to the hydrocarbon law, with respect to
Prime Minister Maliki meeting recently with former officers. He
did that, I think, last week. The meeting yesterday on budget
execution for the provincial governors, other provincial
authorities, ministers and ministry representatives -- those are
-- that's the right focus. They have it, they got it. And again,
I think we should watch actions in terms of reconciliation, and
so forth, again, in the weeks ahead as the Council of
Representatives reconvenes, and so on. So.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) Moufid Hamid (ph) from Al-
Sumariyah. You are partners with the Iraqis in providing peace
in Iraq. There have been some violations in Mosul, some
prisoners escaped from the prison. and there have been some
security violations in Basra; many prisoners escaped from this
prison. And many security violations in Dura, and many Iraqi
Shi'ite pilgrims were attacked in Dura. How do you explain this?
Aren't you responsible about that? You talked about joint
security station in Sadr City. With whom did you talk in Sadr
City? And some people reject the American presence in Baghdad.
With whom did you negotiate to open this joint security station
in Sadr City?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: With respect to the prison outside Mosul, that
is a facility that is guarded completely by Iraqi Ministry of
Justice guards. And I, in fact, did discuss that with Prime
Minister Maliki last night. He is very concerned about it. He
has directed an investigation. The Iraqi army and police did
respond in the wake of that.
   There are reports that they have actually captured some of
the -- of those who got away but were awaiting really much more
in the way of specifics on that.
   With respect to the issue in Basra, there are differing
accounts and views on that particular situation. And in view of
that, the prime minister directed an investigation, asked that
we join, that the coalition join in that to make it a joint
investigation. That is what is being done, and we await their
findings and then bringing that back to us.
   We share the horror and the sorrow and the sadness at seeing
the pilgrims attacked. We personally think that the Iraqi
security forces who are in charge of this particular operation
have actually done quite a courageous job. In fact, they have
stopped several would-be car bombers on the outskirts of
Karbala. There are other cases reported in which they have
disrupted or interdicted others who wanted to attack.
   And I think you have to remember -- I'm told that there are
perhaps as many as 5 (million) to 7 million pilgrims all over
the roads between Najaf, Karbala, Hillah, Baghdad, and all
converging on Karbala. It is an enormous task to protect all of
them, and there is a point at which if someone is willing to
blow up himself, particularly perhaps disguise himself, and use
a vest rather than a vehicle, the problem becomes very, very
difficult indeed.
   But we have actually been quite impressed by the actions of
the Iraqi security forces in performing the security task. It is
one that they wanted to do and have done. We stand ready to
assist and have volunteered that, but in fact that it will only
be as requested, and that has been the agreement so far.
   With respect to the joint security sites that have gone in in
all the different locations in Baghdad, they have all been done
after coordination and discussion with the leaders of the Iraqi
security forces, of the mahalas -- the districts -- as well, and
that has been the case in each of the cases of these sites. So.
   Right here.
   Q Soraya Nelson with National Public Radio. To follow up on
the pilgrims question. A number of people that we spoke to
yesterday were lamenting the fact that Mahdi Army wasn't there
to help. That in the past, security has been much better for the
pilgrims. And in fact, up until now we have the highest death
toll since the marches resumed -- or the pilgrimages resumed
post-Saddam Hussein.
   Do you think that there is role for Mahdi Army in this sort
of manner? Or what would you say to these people who would like
to see them come back?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, you know, ultimately, that's a question
for -- truly for the Iraqi government, for its authorities and
certainly its security force leaders.
   You know, many of our -- of the coalition countries have a
variety of auxiliary police or other functions. The challenge,
of course, is that some of these organizations have participated
in true excesses, and they have been responsible, some of them,
some the extremist elements of them -- and I think that the
challenge has been to determine, you know, how do you
incorporate those who want to serve a positive -- in a positive
way, and as neighborhood watches, let's say, but unarmed in our
own communities, but without turning into something much more
than that?
   And the tragedy in Baghdad for anyone -- and you all drive
around it far more than I have in the past year -- I must tell
you that I was taken aback by what I saw in driving around
Ghazalia, parts of Adhamiya, parts of Mansour, parts of East
Rashid, the Dura area and so forth. And some of that certainly,
clearly, is the result of extremist sectarian militias. And I
think that is the concern about employing them.
   And so that's why we are where we are. They have certainly
contributed the -- additional national police, the local police,
the army and all the rest are out there.
   But I think it's also important to note that this is
apparently far and away, according -- we met with Abdul Aziz al-
Hakim the other day, for example, and he told us that this is
just vastly bigger than any of the other marches as well. So the
sheer numbers of people to protect are much larger also this
year.
   Back there.
   Q General, Andrew North from BBC. Are you going to call on
Congress? Are you going to ask the president for the surge to
carry on much longer, i.e., into 2008, and this particularly
because you're seeing -- what you're seeing in the first few
weeks of the Baghdad security plan in effect is displacement;
the violence is moving outside the city; and you are realizing
you need more troops than you originally thought?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: I would not buy that characterization that
we're realizing we needed -- what we did was, we focused the
combat formations. And what has been asked for subsequent to the
combat formations is the typical enablers that go with combat
formations. And so it's -- you know, if you're going to have
five additional brigade headquarters, you probably need a
division headquarters to help with their command and control.
You need additional aviation assets, additional military police,
additional military intelligence, the whole gamut of enablers.
And that is what has been -- and that was always anticipated.
And I think that all of those have been provided through Central
Command to Washington.
   We are also very heartened to note Georgia contributing an
additional combat brigade as well, and then there's some other
countries that are contributing additional trainers --
Australia, prominently, 70 additional. And that doesn't sound
like a large number, but 70 highly qualified professional
trainers have an enormous multiplier effect when added to the
institutions that are being developed by the Iraqi Ministry of
Defense.
   The discussion about -- I mean, first of all, we're still
trying to get these forces in here, and the focus, of course, is
getting them in. We have always anticipated that the -- some of
the bad guys would go other places, and the Iraqi and coalition
forces will go after them. And just -- so just keep watching
that over the course of the next few months. But again, as I
mentioned, this is months; this is not days, it's not weeks, it
is months. It will be all the way until early June before we
even have all the force in position, and those forces will in
some cases be outside sort of the confines of Baghdad proper.
   We are examining, however, already the options that would
exist for how long to continue the increased level of forces,
and it could -- you could ask that you increase them, actually,
for good reasons as well as, perhaps, not good reasons. One
would be to reinforce success. In fact, the reason that we have
asked for the additional forces in Anbar province is because of
some really positive developments out there, where in province
that six or eight months ago almost seemed hopeless to some
people has now become a source of some hope, in fact; where
tribes in Ramadi have one after the other after another
volunteered to join the local police and have all of a sudden
become a very, very serious force for al Qaeda-Iraq to reckon
with and, in fact, have been going after al Qaeda-Iraq. And
there's really only a small portion of eastern Ramadi that is
still viewed as having some extremist elements in it. The same
has taken place in Hit, same to a degree in al Qaim, and
previously Fallujah has long -- for some time has been, you
know, the best gated community in this particular region.
   So those discussions have been ongoing. In fact, I happened
to meet with General Odierno earlier this week and his staff
with my staff to examine those options. I have mentioned to the
secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs that
we are doing that. There's no surprises in that. It's something
that we would -- obviously, he'd like to resolve it, you know,
well in advance of when you might have to make requests or take
actions. And that's the process that we are -- that we're going
about.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) (Name inaudible) -- from Al Hurra.
Could you confirm to us, please, that there is a dialogue
between the American officials and the Mahdi Army militias and
some armed groups like the Islamic Party in Iraq? Can you
confirm these negotiations? And the secretary of Defense asked
to send more military police to Iraq. What will be the role of
these military police? And since that you have been here for one
month in Iraq, do you think that you need more forces here in
Iraq?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: I couldn't get the last question, but let me
just answer the first two. And let me talk about it in a general
sense.
   In an endeavor like this one, the host nation and those who
are assisting it obviously are trying to determine over time who
are the irreconcilables and who are the reconcilables. And
they're on either end of the sectarian spectrum, of ethnic
spectrums, political spectrums and so forth. And of course, what
the government is trying to do, what those supporting the
government are trying to do are to split the irreconcilables
from the reconcilables and to make the reconcilables part of the
solution rather than a continuing part of a problem, and then
dealing with the irreconcilables differently. And that is
certainly what the government of Iraq is doing and what those
who are supporting the government of Iraq -- what the coalition
is also doing, in very, very early stages.
   With respect to the military police, they are for a variety
of different tasks that our military police serve, everything
from security of detention facilities to route security and
mentoring the police and so forth.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) Ahmed Mahdi (sp) from Al-Furat.
About 2,200 military police will come to Iraq. When will they
arrive? And what will be their mission?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Again, the additional police will be arriving
in a few months, and they will perform the gamut of missions
that military police here do perform, everything from assisting
in the detention facilities to performance of police mentoring
and other tasks.
   Right here.
   Q Graham Smith, NPR News. You had said that you always
anticipated that there would be additional combat enablers
needed. I'm wondering, first, whether you already anticipate
there will be more additional requests for troops; and secondly,
if you decide that this is not effective in terms of ending the
sectarian strife, what's the plan B?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: I do not right now. But let me just tell you
that, you know, when I sat down with the secretary of Defense
and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs before taking the job, and
reaffirmed very recently by the chairman, they have said when
you determine additional requirements, tell us. And, you know,
my job is to understand the mission very clearly, make sure we
have the same understanding of it, and then to request the
forces that we need to perform that mission.
   Their job -- the jobs of the organizations in the United
States is to provide those. In some cases, it may be that they
can't provide them; then our job is to say, well, if you can't,
here's the risk that is incurred. And at some point, the risk
may be so much that you say, well, we probably should discuss
the mission again.
   So that's sort of the philosophy of this, just to ensure that
you know what I know. And right now, I mean, I actually asked
General Odierno this morning -- we sat down, and right now we do
not see other requests looming out there. That's not to say that
some emerging mission or emerging task will not require that;
and if it does, then, of course, we will ask for that.
   So -- what was the second part of that?
   Q What's plan B if --
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Oh, yeah. Our focus -- and this is not just
rhetoric -- but I mean, our focus right here, right now truly is
-- and remember, I've been on the ground for a month -- I mean,
it is to get these forces on the ground, to have dialogue with
our commanders to see how we're doing, to share best practices,
to develop the tactics, techniques and procedures and refine
them and so forth among the commanders in Baghdad and then the
commanders in the outlying districts and so forth. Because
again, this -- you know, the JSSs, the combat outposts, all this
-- and actually staying right there is a different approach
certainly than was employed in the past couple of years. But it
is important, if you're going to secure the population, to be in
the population.
   Now, I think the secretary of Defense recently said something
along the lines of -- you know, it would be irresponsible for
him not to be doing some thinking about various what ifs. And as
we develop here, certainly I would think that we would look at
possible what ifs in the light of how things are going here, but
that's -- and then we'd have dialogue with him, obviously,
during that time.
   We have a secure video teleconference about every other week
with the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs and on the off weeks typically with the president and the
Principals Committee of the National Security Council staff, so
there's quite good dialogue there and there's good discussion
back and forth on that, I can assure you.
   Right here.
   Q Lauren Frayer with the Associated Press. Once the
additional American troops come in, are in place in early June,
we'll be at a certain troop level. Your second in command,
General Odierno, some military officials have said that his
assessment that that troop level should remain constant through
February 2008, nearly a year from now. Is that an assessment
that you share?
   And second, Diyala province -- you mentioned that some of the
troops earmarked for Baghdad may go into Khan Banisad and some
other areas of southern Diyala. Right now there's only one
brigade in charge of all of Diyala. Might you send additional
troops to Diyala semi-permanently, and if so, how many, and
when?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: And would you like specifically where they're
going to go and what their targets are going to be? (Laughter.)
   Let me answer the last question first, which had to do with
Diyala province. The answer is that very likely there will be
additional forces going there. And, you know, obviously I'm not
going to tell you specifically when, where and all the rest of
that because we'd like to have that as a surprise to some folks
who are there.
   With respect to the assessment that General Odierno has made,
I don't know that you would call that yet a "recommendation." As
I mentioned earlier, we sat down and we have looked at options.
Again, we're some months from starting -- from saying, okay,
let's continue at this level, or determine what else we might
do. But I very much wanted -- in fact, I asked him to start
laying out options because it is something that we would like to
be considering early, rather than as the decision starts to
stare us in the face. And so we've done that. I have certainly
not reached a conclusion yet about that.
   I think you generally think that if you're going to achieve
the kinds of effects that we probably need, that it would need
to be sustained certainly for some time well beyond the summer.
But again, we'll have to see in our experiences over the next
few months as we get the troop density that is needed, as we
start to operate in some of the areas that affect Baghdad.
Because again, these car bomb factories tend to be -- I mean, we
destroyed one in Salman Pak, as you know, southeast of Baghdad,
another one in the Kharma area northwest of Baghdad. They tend
to be in the outskirts in these very rural areas, small villages
and outlying houses and farms, and so forth. And we clearly have
got to find as many of those as we can to destroy them and then,
obviously, to interdict those that are still able to be built.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) (Name and affiliation inaudible.)
Recently, there have been some violations by the armed groups of
Baghdad security plan. Does this mean that the armed groups have
good intelligence to gather information and more than the
ability of the United States?
   My second question: We said that there have been some new
devices to detect car bombs. They will be installed in Baghdad,
but this didn't happen. What's the reason?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Actually, in fact, there have been successful
operations to both locate car bomb factories and destroy them,
as I mentioned, in Salman Pak and Kharma literally just in the
last three weeks alone. In addition, a large cache of
explosively formed penetrators west of Taji, 140 of those --
that's 140 different of these very, very lethal improvised
explosive devices, the components for those, and as I mentioned,
nearly 100 caches of other sizes and shapes just in the
Multinational Division Baghdad area in the last two weeks alone.
   There are -- there have been some of the -- the cells have
also -- the individuals in various cells some of them have been
detained. But clearly there is much more work to do in this
regard because, as you rightly observed, there have been people
blowing up car bombs in places in recent weeks, and we do think
that this is, in fact, an effort by extremists, perhaps the same
groups of extremists that blew up the mosque in Samarra and
ignited this real unleashing of sectarian violence that took
place. And they're trying to do that again, we think, and it
would be logical. They see the Baghdad plan beginning. They're
not sure how long it's going to -- everyone is still waiting to
see what really is going to happen over the course of weeks. And
what will happen, I can tell them, is they're going to see more
coalition and more Iraqi soldiers and police over time.
   I think they're beginning to sense that now. You also have
the Arba'in celebration with, you know, tragically a very large
number of civilians on the roads who have been targeted and are
very, very difficult to protect all of them in the extent of
this -- these vast marches. But obviously, the effort will
continue, and it literally is continuing right now. In fact, we
think we got some cell members as recently as yesterday.
   Right here.
   Q Damien Macaroy (sp) from the Daily Telegraph. You said that
you were quite shocked by some of the things you saw when you
were driving around Baghdad. I suspect one of the things was the
difference in relative prosperity between Sunni and Shi'a
neighborhoods that seems to be in a switch in recent years.
   Could you talk a little bit about how much your task in the
surge will be to protect Sunni neighborhoods so that they aren't
almost completely wiped out in Baghdad?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: The goal of the operation, of the Iraqi and
coalition joint operation, is to protect all neighborhoods. And
in fact, citizens from all sects, ethnic groups and religions
have been hurt, been damaged, been killed, displaced and so
forth during the course of the past year, in particular. When I
left 17 months ago now, there certainly was not the kind of
emptiness in some of the neighborhoods of Baghdad, as I
mentioned earlier, Ghazalia, Dora, Adhamiya, Mansour. But again,
all around Baghdad there are certain neighborhoods, and they
typically were the so-called fault-line neighborhoods, mixed
neighborhoods and so forth.
   Again, a primary goal of this operation is to secure those
neighborhoods, to try to restore confidence in those who live
there that they can return home, that shopkeepers can reopen
their businesses, that markets can begin to flourish again and
that kids can go to school without being kidnapped and so forth.
And that obviously is the goal of the operation. But it is
explicitly to protect all Iraqis, and that includes, obviously,
Sunni Arabs, Shi'a, Kurdi, Turkmen, Christian, Yezidi, Shabak,
you name it. I mean, all will be included in that. And that's
very much the goal.
   Right here.
   Q (Through interpreter.) (Name inaudible) -- from the NBC. I
have two questions. The first question is about the additional
forces which will guard the detention facilities. Why do you
focus on the detention camps? Why don't you give this task to
the Iraqi security forces?
   Second question: You said that the host country can determine
who are the reconcilable groups. But everybody should be under
the supremacy of law, and all military activities should be
cancelled. So how are these people going to be part of the
solution?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: First of all, there -- you asked about
detention facilities, coalition and Iraqi. And in fact there is
an effort ongoing -- in fact, it's part of the rule of law
effort that I mentioned -- that will assist Iraq and the
Ministry of Justice in expanding its detention facilities.
   The fact is that Iraq has a very, very small capacity in that
regard, compared with any of the other states in the region or
even just to a state of the United States. And so the assessment
of leaders and so forth is that there -- especially as you have
a security crackdown that does target these extremists, that a
number of them need to be detained and to be put into the
correction system. And so that is an effort -- there is an
effort ongoing to do that, just as there is an effort ongoing to
expand the U.S. capacity for detention.
   And in fact, in one of the locations -- in fact, several of
the coalitions -- we are actually helping to train Iraqi
corrections officers. In some cases, they are training alongside
our soldiers and will transition to take over some of the
detention facilities you can see, again, in the years hence.
   So there's a short-term capacity increase effort ongoing, and
there's also a longer-term plan that has been being executed and
will also be reinforced to increase the Iraqi capacity over time
as well.
   With respect, again, to the -- you know, the idea of the
reconcilables and the irreconcilables, this is something in
which the Iraqi government obviously has the lead. It is
something that they have sought to -- in some cases, to reach
out. And I think, again, that any student of history recognizes
that there is no military solution to a problem like that in
Iraq, to the insurgency of Iraq. Military action is necessary to
help improve security, for all the reasons that I stated in my
remarks, but it is not sufficient.
   A political resolution of various differences, of this
legislation, of various senses that people do not have a stake
in the success of the new Iraq, and so forth, that is crucial.
That is what will determine in the long run the success of this
effort. And again, that clearly has to include talking with and
eventually reconciling differences with some of those who have
felt that the new Iraq did not have a place for them, whereas I
think, again, Prime Minister Maliki clearly believes that it
does, and I think that his actions will demonstrate that, along
with the other ministers.
   I mean, if you look at the hydrocarbon law is an enormous
statement that the oil that is in certain regions, the wealth
from that, the revenue from it, will be shared with all Iraqis.
It is a national resource, it states that. And that, arguably,
is a very significant statement, compromise even, because some
could have tried to have kept that to a particular region rather
than sharing it with all. And I think that kind of legislation
is what the Iraqi people are looking for. That is also, for what
it's worth, what people in the United States are looking for, to
see, again, is there the will, the determination to come to
grips with these very tough issues that makes our enormous
effort of the coalition members to help them achieve the
security in which that kind of effort can go forward more
successfully than when they're literally consumed with concerns
about the security challenges of the moment.
   Right here.
   Q Alex Kingsbury from U.S. News & World Report. I'm wondering
if you can just talk a little bit about the battlespaces outside
of Baghdad. As the forces are surged into the capital, the
commanders in these other areas seem to be doing more with less.
I'm wondering if there's a change in tactics or strategy in the
way that they're dealing with their areas of operation?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Yeah, I certainly wouldn't say it's more with
less at all. In some cases it will be more with more. And I
think that over time, that that will be the case. But if -- you
know, if you walk your way around the map, you know, again,
there are challenges in the fault line areas, as I mentioned to
the northeast, the north, and around the throat of Baghdad, if
you will. And again, those certainly will have to be addressed
in the coming months. There is a question about additional
forces for Diyala. We're going to watch Diyala and see what
happens there. In some other locations where there clearly are
threats, there seem to be, nonetheless, Iraqi forces hanging
tough in the face of those threats. The prison incident
northeast of Mosul notwithstanding, the division commanders in
Nineveh province have been quite resolute.
   In fact, I met with the governor, Governor Kashmula, and the
police chief two days ago. They were here for the budget
execution conference.
   I think -- you know, this is a governor who has lost his
brother, his son and several other relatives to the extremists,
and he is undaunted. And he had with him the police chief, who
is quite tough, determined. One of his police stations was
attacked with a car bomb the other day, and they rebuilt it
across the street the next day.
   So in some of those cases, again, we think that they're just
going to continue to build. We need to just continue to assist,
maintain the forces that are there. But those are cases where
your adviser teams can really continue to make a huge
difference, rather than having to add, say, even a significant
number of additional coalition forces.
   And the same can be said for some of the other locations. And
then certainly, I think, as you get below the throat of Baghdad,
that although there are, you know, a variety of internal
political and in some cases security issues in the provinces
south of Baghdad, that by and large Iraqi forces can sort those
out; Iraqi political leaders can sort them out -- in some cases,
of course, where they have already shifted to provincial Iraqi
control and we are in overwatch. In others, over the course of
this coming year, that will certainly take place as well.
   And then you have the situation in Anbar province. And as I
mentioned, Anbar is an intriguing location right now. Where I
was -- again, "taken aback" was my word for what I saw in parts
of Baghdad. I was heartened by what I saw in Ramadi, by what
I've heard described about in Hit, where again Anbaris, the
members of those tribes, have said, enough, and have banded
together, raised their hand, joined the police forces and in
fact are standing and fighting again al Qaeda Iraq. And you can
start to see, by the way, for what it's worth, an identity
emerging among them that is, again, very heartening to someone
who has been here since the beginning off and on and watched
things go up and down in Anbar province -- frankly, mostly down
during a variety of periods. So that's, again, a very, very
interesting development in that regard.
   So -- right there.
   Q (Name inaudible) -- from the Kuwaiti News Agency.
   General Petraeus, the report said that -- the Iraqi report
said, quoting the ministry of interior, that scores of leaders
of al Qaeda organization have been detained the day before
yesterday in Tikrit, in Baiji and Lailan. Among them is Muharib
al-Jabouri and two brothers of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
   There have been some reports that said that Muharib al-
Jabouri is he himself Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. Do you have any
information about this? Did you take part in these military
operations?
   Second question: the reports said --
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Let me try to answer that one first, if I
could.
   The question is, I think -- and it's a little hard to hear
the translation, but the question, I think, had to do with
operations against various al Qaeda and other extremist
organizations in the provinces in particular to the north of
Baghdad.
   And in fact, there have been a number of operations in those
areas and in Anbar province as well, specifically in Ramadi also
over the last three or four weeks. And that was what I was
referring to when I mentioned that we have in fact captured or
killed a number of rank-and-file and also mid-level leaders of
the various, again, affiliates, if you will, and also of al
Qaeda Iraq itself in Mosul as well, and including some very,
very large caches in the Mosul area. So those operations have
been ongoing. A number of them have been joint operations. Some
have been unilateral, but they have been ongoing.
   So -- let me just let one other person -- right next to you,
right there.
   Q (Through interpreter.) Laith al-Ahamdi (ph) from (Al-
Iraqiyah ?). General Petraeus, this Operation Fard al-Qanun
didn't accomplish its mission. Do you have any alternative
plans? We heard about alternative plans. Could you please inform
us about them?
   GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, again, Operation Fard al-Qanun is just
in its early stages. I mean, we are literally a few weeks into
the operation right now. It will take months before all of the
forces are on the ground from the coalition side. Iraqi forces
will continue to build during that period. There are literally
thousands and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and police and others
that are in training, and there will be rotations of Iraqi units
through Baghdad as well.
   And what we need to do is to assess the success or the lack
of success of the operation as we go along. We already are
determining where increased security measures have to be taken.
Operation Safe Market, for example, was one of the early efforts
to wall off some of the larger markets, the more vulnerable
markets in the Baghdad area, and that operation does continue;
and then protection of various neighborhoods.
   And again, this is just going to continue. I mean, we are in
the early stages of this, and I have been on occasion bemused by
people saying, "Hey, you know, how's it going? Have you won
yet?" And the answer is we've just started. Just the second of
five brigades is coming in, and again, this is going to
continue. It's going to be determined. Our soldiers are
resolute. They want to see this succeed, as do their Iraqi
counterparts, and that is exactly what we're endeavoring to do.
   And with that, let me just say thank you. This is, again, the
first of these. We'll do them periodically over time. I will
allow General Caldwell sitting back there to continue his great
performance on the weekly basis or however frequently it is that
he comes out here and sees you -- more often than that, I guess.
And -- but you'll see me as well, and we are now going to do the
usual press activities that I think you would expect from an
MNF-I commander.
   So thank you, all, very much.

END.

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